Kaori Shadows and Sasuke Uchiha
by KaoriXShadows
Summary: A young girl named Kaori, whose whole family was killed by her older sister, moves to Konoha. She befriends Sasuke Uchiha and Kami Udori, who have almost the same past. They team up, and hope to fulfil their goals together.
1. The beginning

My name is Kaori. I was born in the Land of Shadows. My mother and father were the rulers of the land, and I had one sibling. She is my sister, Keen. When I was just five years old, Keen massacred my entire clan. Keen just wanted to test her strength to see how strong she was. The family power had protected me from death. Here's my story.

I was walking around the Land of Shadows with my sister, Keen. We were training in the woods a few kilometers away from the house. Keen wanted to make sure I was strong enough to fight anyone in battle. Since I'm the daughter of the rulers of the land, I need to be able to fight. Keen would always beat me in a spar, because she has the family necklace.

Oh, yeah, the necklace. On my mother's side of the family, there's this necklace that holds all the family powers. The "Shadow" family powers consist of levitation, mind reading, force fields, and freezing time. This power is held in a small dragon necklace. Since our family goes back 20 generations, there are a total of twenty necklaces.

Well after training with Keen, her and I headed back to the house for dinner. Keen made it there first, since she has the power, and I don't. Keen made it home about an hour before me. I decided to walk, so I could keep most of my chakra, since I had a very bad feeling something was going to happen.

As I walked through the doors, my mother grabbed me. Kin, my mother, took all twenty of the family necklaces, including her own, and fused them together to make a super strong necklace. I was wondering what was going on, but then I saw Keen enter the room.

I went and hid myself under my bed, and kept thinking force field, force field, force field. Not long after, a light blue field surrounded me. I saw my mother and Keen fighting. I had no idea what was going on! I was so scared. Why was my sister fighting my mother, this made no sense. Was father already dead? What was happening?

I soon saw my mother fall to the floor. Dead. I can't believe Keen had killed our mother. I then saw Keen walking to where I am hiding. She flips the bed up over me, and I see a death stare in her eyes. I was petrified. How could my sister, the one I look up to and love, do this to our family?

Keen looked at me and said, "You're too weak to even want to kill. I only did this to test my strength, and you're not even worth it." I looked at her in disbelief. How could this be my sister? This was nothing like the Keen I knew and loved. I was then knocked unconscious.

Everyone I love has abandoned me. I'm now eight years old, and I have nothing. No family. No friends. All I do is train so I can accomplish my one goal in life. That goal is to avenge my family's massacre, and the only way to do that is to kill my sister. Nothing will get in my way of doing that. I won't let anyone. I'll kill anyone who gets in my way.

I am now leaving the Land of Shadows to finish my training. I don't know where I'm going, or whom I'll encounter, but I do know this: anyone who tries to hurt me shall die. I have mastered all jutsu. I can control any element [fire, water, earth, snow, light, ice and shadow] and I can combine any of them to make an even stronger element. No one will get in my way.

I'm so weak, I've used too much of my chakra. I haven't eaten in days, and I have no idea where I am. I'm about to pass out. Wait. There's a man over there. He's heading towards me. Hopefully I don't have to use any chakra, because if I do, I'll die. I can't die now.

"Why are you out here so late, little girl," asked the mysterious man. He was standing over me. He had silver hair, and he was from the village, Konogakure, the Land of Leaves. I remembered that Konogakure was an ally with the Land of Shadows. I knew I could trust him.

"I'm lost, sir. I have nowhere to go. My family was killed years ago, and I need to find my sister and to kill her," I replied coldly. The man looked at me with a serious look. I must've said too much.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. I'll help you. You can live with me in Konogakure, and we'll see where it goes from there. Hop on my back," Kakashi said to me. He seemed to be very comforting. So I decided to go with him. Kakashi threw me on his back and he started running.

Not long after, I fell asleep. Once Kakashi reached his home, he set me on his bed and tucked me in. Kakashi went to go see the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, I found a young girl twenty kilometers off. She's from the Land of Shadows. I didn't catch her name though. She was weak and her chakra was almost to the level of fatality," explained Kakashi. The Hokage looked at him in bewilderment, but after a few moments spoke.

"Kakashi, did this young girl have a dragon shaped necklace on," Hokage-sama asked. Kakashi stood there for a moment. "You don't think she could be, do you, Hokage," asked Kakashi. "If she holds the necklace, Kakashi, that is, in fact, the last Shadow," explained Hokage Sarutobi.

Kakashi looked at the Hokage in disbelief. He thought all of the Shadows were dead, and that the little girl, named Kaori, died as well. Kaori's sister is a S-ranked criminal that the ANBU have been after for years. "Hokage-sama, would you like me to enroll her into the Ninja Academy? She has the potential to be the greatest kunochi that ever lived," Kakashi explained.

Hokage-sama nodded to Kakashi, and Kakashi soon left. Kakashi couldn't stop thinking that he had this little girl in his home. 'This girl is supposed to hold the strongest power ever known to any ninja,' Kakashi thought. Hopefully she uses this power for good, unlike her sister. We'll find out soon enough when she becomes a true ninja.

The next morning, I awoke not knowing where I was. I felt so much stronger than I did the night before. I got out of this bed, charging my chakra, ready to attack anyone. I walked around the corner, and saw Kakashi standing there.


	2. The Academy

"Oh, you're awake, Kaori? I was just about to go in and wake you up. And calm down, I can see your chakra radiating off of you," Kakashi said with a grin. With that being said, I calmed down. "Kaori, how do you feel about starting the Ninja Academy today?"

"I'd love to, but just as long as I don't have to talk to anyone. I don't need any kind of relations with anybody," I explained. Kakashi laughed at me, and then we just headed out the door.

As we walked through the doors of the Ninja Academy, Iruka-sensei came up to Kakashi. "So who is this little girl you have, Kakashi? Certainly she is not your daughter," Iruka asked. Kakashi laughed at that but replied soon enough. "She is Kaori Shadows, you may have heard of her Iruka."

Iruka looked at Kakashi with shock and disbelief. There was no way that this girl could be the legendary, Kaori Shadows. "Kakashi, you must be joking, right," Iruka said. "No, Iruka, I am not. She has the necklace, and she looked exactly like her mother, don't you see it. I think she will get along with Sasuke Uchiha and Kami Udori, " Kakashi explained. "They do have the same background."

Not long after, Kakashi left me with Iruka and we walked into the classroom. "Okay, class, I'd like to introduce you to our new student, Kaori," Iruka said. "Kaori could you please tell us something about yourself?" I looked at Iruka, but I thought I might as well.

"My name is Kaori Shadows. I'm from the Land of Shadows. I have one goal in life, and that is to kill the one who took everything away from me," I explained. Everyone looked at me in shock. I guess they never heard something like that come out of an eight year olds mouth.

"Wow, you're so beautiful. My name's Naruto," a blonde-haired boy said. I just looked at him, and went and sat between a blonde-haired girl, and a boy with spiky black hair.

"Get away from him, Kaori! That's my Sasuke-kun," yelled a pink-haired girl. I just looked at her with a death stare, but she wouldn't shut up. "Kaori, move. Now! I don't want to have to hurt you on your first day."

"Why don't you shut up and leave me be, before I hurt you. I'm not afraid to. And don't worry; I'm not going to flirt with your 'boyfriend' if he really is that to you. He's been giving you the death stare for the past few minutes. I guess you're a fan girl, am I right, Cockatoo, I mean Sasuke," I asked the black spiky haired kid.

"How dare you say that about my Sasuke-kun," yelled the girl. Sasuke stood up and said, "Sakura, I will not EVER date you, get that through your head! And listen, Kaori, you don't know my life, so shut up," yelled Sasuke.

"You don't know my life either! My sister killed my whole family! So, just leave me alone," and with that said, I put a force field around me. No one can get in without me letting him or her. I also can't hear what is going on around me.

Everyone was looking at me, but the blonde girl that was next to me, tried to communicate with me. 'Hi, I'm Kami. I can understand how you feel, may I come into your bubble,' she asked through telekinesis. 'Sure, grab my hand,' I replied. I grabbed Kami's hand and she was inside my bubble.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to you when you were little it must've been hard, how old were you," asked Kami. For a quiet little thing, she sure knew how to talk, and was actually very caring. I was pretty shy to talk to her, because of my little outburst that happened not too long ago.

"I was five years old, and I lived on my own for three years, before Kakashi took me in as his own," I replied. I was looking down in my lap, because I was so embarrassed. Not long after though, Iruka was telling me to stop using the force field

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei," I said, and stopped using the force field. We were getting split into teams, and were going to meet our sensei's. I was praying that I would get Kakashi, because I know how to talk to him, and he knows of my strengths. I just hope Sakura and Sasuke aren't in my team.

"Okay, Team 7 will be, Kaori Shadows, Kami Udori, and Sasuke Uchiha," Iruka said. "You may now leave and get to know each other, but please no killing each other." On that note, we were gone.


	3. Is she really that strong?

Not knowing where we were going, we decided to head to the bridge near the Sakura tree forest. We were quite the group of little kids. Sasuke has black spiky hair, and was wearing a black shirt with his family emblem on it, and white shorts. Kami was wearing a lime green dress, and her hair was in a curly ponytail. I was wearing a baby blue shirt, dark blue pants, and my short blonde hair was tied with a baby blue ribbon.

"So, Sasuke, is that Sakura chick anything to you," asked Kami. She had the right idea, we might as well get to know each other if we're going to be a team. Sasuke looked at Kami, but didn't say anything.

"Sasuke, just answer her, she's trying to be nice," I stated with a bit of harshness. "It's rude not to answer somebody." Sasuke looked at me with a death glare, but he did answer Kami. "No, Sakura is not my girlfriend, never has, and never will be. She's just a fan girl. I have too many of those. None of them know me, all they like me for is that I'm a Uchiha."

Kami and I looked at Sasuke with a blank stare. Was there something we didn't know about him, or was he just a cold little boy? I decided to find out. "Sasuke, what is your past? It seems like something happened, and you're bottling it up on the inside."

"My past is just like yours, Kaori. My whole family was killed as well, but it was by my older brother, Itachi. I vow to kill him one day, as you with your sister," Sasuke replied while looking straight past me. "Kami what about you, why do you seem so distant, and scared?"

Kami was startled by the question, but she decided she might as well answer. "When I was born, my father sealed the six-tailed demon fox inside of me. One night I wanted to go outside, but my mom said no. I just ignored her, and went out anyways. I had no clue about the fox, and it comes out with a full moon," Kami paused. "I ended up killing my whole family, minus my sister, Aeisha, and my brother, Cain, that night."

I walked over to Kami, and I gave her a hug. I knew I wasn't supposed to be nice to a single soul, because I knew if Keen found out, she'd kill them. But this was a time when I needed to be a friend, no matter how bad I knew I shouldn't be. Kami accepted the hug, and then walked of. Sasuke and I were left there alone.

"Want to spar, Kaori," Sasuke asked me with a grin on his face. I took this as an opportunity to prove to people that I may be small, but I can fight. I have the family necklace on, so I'll never lose a single battle!

"Sure, why not. You're going down though, Sasuke. I've never lost a single spar or anything," I said with the cockiest grin on my face. So Sasuke and I walked into the woods near us, and we were a good thirty feet away from each other. Sasuke started at me with a kunai, but I just dodged it with ease.

Sasuke was surprised at my speed. I'm guessing he's never seen anyone move that fast. I dodged everything he threw at me, and I dodged all of his clones. I was basically just fighting a nine year old that didn't know how to do a single move.

I did a few hand signs, and I just disappeared in thin air. Sasuke was in shock! He had no clue where I went or what I was about to do. The next thing you know is, I'm stabbing him in the back with a kunai, and one of my clones comes from underneath the ground, and stabs him in both legs with a shuriken.

Sasuke fell over in pain, he literally didn't know what hit him, and still didn't realize it. "How…how did you learn to fight like that, Kaori," Sasuke asked. You could tell by his voice he was trying to cover up the pain that he was feeling. "I spent every day for the last three years training. I just stopped my training a few weeks ago," I explained.

Sasuke just looked at me in shock. He's never seen anyone as strong as me at this age in life. He tried to figure out how I did it, or if it wasn't really me, but it was. He knew it. Everything he noticed about me was exactly how it was when he saw me walk into the academy.

"Kakashi, I know you're there. You can come out of that tree," I said coldly. Kakashi soon jumped out of a tree that was behind me. And Sasuke looked in shock again. 'Did she know he was there really? Could she sense his chakra? She's only eight," Sasuke thought to himself.

As soon as Kakashi was beside me, Sasuke looked fearful. Two very strong ninja were standing before him, and he was still on the ground, bleeding. I walked over to Sasuke and did a few hand signs. I put my hands over Sasuke's wounds, and they started to glow.

"You can heal too? How much jutsu do you know," Sasuke asked in awe. I just kept quiet and let Kakashi speak for me. "Sasuke, this girl standing before you, is supposed to be the strongest ninja to have ever lived. She's from the Land of Shadows, and was the daughter of the leaders there. She doesn't have to train for hours to get a jutsu right, it takes her merely minutes to."

I finished healing Sasuke's wounds, and I wrapped them up just in case. Sasuke was just staring at me. With ever moved I made, he'd be watching me. It felt weird, because no one has ever paid much attention to me. The only people that did were my mother and father, but they're gone.

"Kaori, where is Kami," Kakashi asked me. I did another hand sign, and my eyes went white. Sasuke was wondering what was going on, but it's just a jutsu I learned when I was seven. "She's about a kilometer to the west, and it looks like she's dancing," I explained to Kakashi.

We headed to where Kami was, and I was right, she was dancing. But it didn't look just like dancing; it looked like she was training. She would throw kunai into the air, and then a vine looking thing would pop out of her hand, and catch it. It was a very interesting way to train.

"Kami, it's time to talk with Kakashi-sensei," I yelled out to her. She stopped her dancing, and looked over at me. She was flustered, and I guessed we weren't supposed to see her train. "Oh, okay. I'll be right with you," Kami stuttered. A few minutes later, Kami was walking with us back to the bridge.


	4. Friends?

"Okay, only one of you really knows who I am, and that is Kaori. Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake. I enjoy reading, and training with my newly adopted daughter, Kaori," Kakashi started. I looked at him with a weird look. 'Since when did Kakashi adopt me,' I asked myself in thought.

"Oh, yeah…Kaori, I forgot to tell you, I adopted you about a week ago. Well, since you've been living with me for a few months, I decided what the hell, might as well adopt her. But of course, you can keep your own name and everything, but you just have me as a 'parent'," Kakashi explained.

I looked at him weird, but shrugged it off. Keen wouldn't be able to get to Kakashi. The only reason I knew this is because Kakashi has the Sharingan. He's the strongest ninja I have ever met, besides the Hokage. Keen would lose, but then again, my parents had lost to Keen, and they were much stronger than Kakashi.

"Well, Kami, why don't you tell us a little something about yourself. It doesn't have to be personal," Kakashi asked. Kami looked very shy, but I did a hand sign or two, and she started to talk. Gosh, I loved all the powers I had. Sasuke kept looking at me with a look of jealousy.

"Well, my name is Kami Udori. I was born in the Land of Paw; it's actually pretty close to where Kaori lived. And I ended up killing my whole family, but it was on accident. You see, I have the six-tailed demon fox inside of me, and my father died while doing that. I wanted to go outside one night, and my mom tried to stop me, but I didn't listen. My sister, Aeisha, knew what was going to happen, so she took my brother, Cain, and ran as far as she could in so little time," Kami began. You could tell she was about to cry. I walked over and gave her a hug, and she soon continued with her story.

"With the full moon out, I had no control over the demon. I actually didn't have any control of it at all, since I was so little and didn't know what was inside of me. The demon took over, and I just destroyed the whole village. My sister then found me a week later, and we moved here to Konogakure. I haven't been outside at night in forever, because I don't have a seal to keep the demon under lock."

I looked over at Kakashi, and he gave me a nod. I knew what I had to do. I had to go against my wishes, and become great friends with Kami, and save her from herself. I knew if I put the seal on her, I'd have to protect her, and I knew I could. And I knew if I also became friends with Kami, with the seal on her, I could control that seal. So if Keen ever came into contact with us, I could unleash the demon, and easily control it.

"Kami, could I talk to you, please," I asked Kami. She looked at me funny, so I guess she could hear the sympathy I have for her in my voice. Kami got up and we walked over to a stream not too far off.

"What did you want to talk about, Kaori," Kami asked with a bit of concern. I really didn't know how to start this conversation off, but I knew I'd have to do some lying. I walked to the other side of Kami, and might as well have started a conversation.

"Well, Kami, I know a few jutsus, and if you wanted I could seal the demon so it wouldn't be able to get out at night. That is if you'd like me to," I said to Kami. Kami didn't know what to say. We stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"Kaori, that really means a lot to me, that really does. Are you sure it would work though? I mean you are only eight years old, shouldn't we wait a few years," Kami asked me. I knew she thought I was weak and all that, because she didn't she what happened a few hours earlier.

"Yeah, we could wait a few years, maybe when we are Genin. I'm already really strong, but I don't want you hurting anymore, and I don't want you to hurt anyone you care about. I know we just really met and all, but we can relate to each other. I can actually see you as a friend," I told her with actually a smile on my face.

Kami actually gave me a hug. I wasn't used to stuff like that, I really wasn't, because I've isolated myself for the past few years, but I hugged her back. I could actually see myself befriending her, and not just having to use her for my own benefit.


	5. Genin?

A few years had passed, and I have gotten really close to Kami. We do everything together. She takes me shopping, and we basically live at each other's houses. I love our training sessions the most though, we are both really strong, and it's actually a challenge for us to beat each other.

We agreed that after we become Genin, I would seal the demon inside of her, and we would both have control over it. It will take a lot of my chakra to do so though, so we would do that at one of our houses. Just incase I pass out from exhaustion.

We were heading over to the Ninja Academy, because this was the day we were supposed to become Genin, which is if we passed the test. Which we both knew we would. Kami and I were the strongest in our class, minus Sasuke. Sasuke has been getting more and more distant with each passing day, and I didn't like it.

I mean, it's not that I don't like-like Sasuke, cause I do. I just can't have a relationship with anyone other than Kakashi and Kami, because the more ties I have, the more likely Keen will go after them, and I can't have that. Sasuke will really only talk to Kami and me though. So, that's a good thing, right?

Kami and I reached the academy, and Sakura and her blonde friend, Ino, were fighting over Sasuke. Kami and I knew we'd have some fun with this. Kami and I walked over to Sakura and Ino and basically told them to move, or we'd have to use force. This made Sasuke laugh.

"We know you're laughing at these two ugly girls, right, Sasuke-kun," Ino asked while giving Sasuke a hug. Sasuke pushed Ino off of him, and basically ignored her. Ino was very offended by this. "Sasuke-kun, don't you love me? Why would you do this," Ino asked.

"Shut up," was the only thing Sasuke could say. Ino walked off in tears. Well that was one down, and only one left to go. Kami and I thought it would be funny if we made Naruto and Sasuke kiss, since Naruto was yelling at Sasuke for getting all the girls.

"Sasuke, you have every single girl all over you. Minus, Kami and Kaori. Why don't you just date one of them," Naruto asked while leaning in front of Sasuke. This was the perfect opportunity to put the plan into action! With one swift movement of my hand, Naruto was pushed forward by a force that he didn't know, and bam, him and Sasuke kissed!

"Naruto! How could you kiss Sasuke! We know he isn't gay! Him and I have been dating for the past few days. Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun," Sakura asked while trying to grab Sasuke's hand. Sasuke moved his hand back, and said, "Sakura, you're annoying. I would never date you. I wouldn't date any girl in Konogakure ever. You are all annoying fan girls, now leave me alone"

Sakura ran away to the back of the room in tears. I did a few hand signs while I sat down next to Sasuke, and a big rain cloud began to hang over Sakura's head. Sasuke knew it was me that did everything.

"Why did you make Naruto kiss me, Kaori? Yes, it was a good plan, but why," Sasuke asked me. I started to giggle. Sasuke didn't think it was that funny, but he gave me a smirk. It was better than nothing. Kami than came and sat down on the other side of me, since I was sitting in the middle.

"I just wanted to get those two away. They were annoying, and they were trying to get my and Kami's seats. That's just not going to fly with us," I explained to Sasuke. But we both knew that in the back of my mind, I wanted to be with Sasuke. Sasuke just gave me a smirk, and grabbed my hand.

"Sasuke-kun! Why are you holding her hand! She's not pretty, and she's so mean," Sakura yelled from the back of the room. Sasuke just gave Sakura a death stare and continued to hold my hand. I knew I was blushing, and I think Sasuke actually smiled. But it could have just been an act.

Not much longer, Iruka-sensei walked into the room. He made us stand in a line, and he was going to give all of us three tests to pass to become Genin. I knew for a fact that Kami, Sasuke, and I would pass with ease. Most of the others would just barely pass compared to us.

"Okay, I will go in order of how you got in line. First up is Naruto. Naruto, I want you to make me a shadow clone, a real clone, and then do any jutsu of your choice," Iruka explained. "But for everyone else, you will have a different test."

Naruto barely passed his test. He couldn't make a real clone, but at least he could make a shadow clone, and did a different jutsu of his choice. I guess we only have to pass two of the three that are assigned to us. That'll be easy enough.

"Next up is Kaori. Hmm, I got to make this difficult for you, Miss Shadows. Okay, got it! I want you to make a waterfall come through this ceiling, freeze it, and then make as many real clones as you can and perform any jutsu you would like," Iruka-sensei explained.

I had to think for a second on which jutsu I'd like to perform, but I got it with ease. I performed quite a few hand signs, and a waterfall came through the ceiling, and it started to flood the whole room. I vanished and appeared next to the window, while still holding my concentration; I opened the window so that we wouldn't drown.

I did more hand signs, and the waterfall froze. People were amazed at what I could do at such a young age, but it didn't bother me. I then created about two hundred real clones, and I made each four groups of fifty do their own jutsu. One group performed the Chidori, another performed the rasengan, the third performed a combination of the two, and the last group that had the real me in it, performed a telekinetic jutsu that made everyone in the room levitate.

"Wow, Kaori! I am very impressed! I didn't think you could do all that, but yes, very impressed! You passed with flying colors! You are my top student," Iruka-sensei said with quite a lot emotion!

After everyone else had their test done, Kami, Sasuke, and I went to our training grounds at the bridge. The three of us passed with flying colors, and like I had predicted, we were at the top of the class. We passed with ease, and didn't have a single problem.

Kakashi-sensei said that he had a test for us, and that it would prove if we were really Genin. I didn't like the sound of that, because it is Kakashi. He likes to play tricks, and I can never tell what he's going to do next. But what I did know is that Kakashi would be late, like he always is when he tells us to meet him.


	6. Bells

A few hours have passed, and Kakashi-sensei still isn't here, so I decided I would talk to Kami. I pulled her aside, and once I did that, Sasuke went to go train on his own. Kami and I went one way, and Sasuke went the other.

"So, Kami…you ready for me to do that seal, or do you want to wait for Kakashi-sensei," I asked Kami, being completely serious. Kami must've thought that I forgotten all about that. Of course I didn't, because with each passing day I can feel my sister getting closer to me, and I need Kami to be under my control, even though she is my best friend.

"Let's wait for Kakashi-sensei. I know you're capable of doing it, Kaori, but you did say it would drain your chakra, so he should be there just in case," Kami stated. She was right. This jutsu I was going to perform on her was very dangerous. More dangerous for me, than for her. So with all that said, we went to look for Sasuke.

Not far down the road, Kami said she was going to go train, and that I can go on my own to find Sasuke. I looked everywhere for him, without using any jutsu. I just got fed up with it, and decided to track him by his chakra use. Turns out, I wasn't that far away from him.

I walked over to a kneeling Sasuke, thinking he was channeling his chakra, but come to find out, Sasuke Uchiha was crying. I walked over to him, and kneeled down beside him. I didn't say anything; I just sat next to him, and put a comforting arm around him.

"What…what are you doing here," Sasuke wept. He must've thought I was still the same heart-less girl I always have been towards him. We've been rivals, yet friends, since we met. I would protect him from his fan-girls, but he'd never really help me. All we did was spar together.

"Sasuke, I know we don't really like each other, but we're teammates, I'm here to help. Even if I just sit here with my arm around you, it shows I care," I whispered to Sasuke. He didn't seem to really buy it, and he got up and walked away. I sighed, and just walked back to the bridge. Hopefully, one day, Sasuke will be able to talk to me. We relate to each other in so many ways.

Kakashi appeared not long after I got back to the bridge. I wasn't in the best mood, because of Sasuke's coldness towards me. I don't see why I wanted to cry because of it, but I guess I just haven't been unleashing my feelings lately. Which I need to do every now and then.

"Okay, your first task will be, as a team, to get these bells from me," Kakashi said while holding up two silver bells. "The one person who doesn't get a bell, will be tied to this stump, and not get any lunch." I knew this would be a piece of cake for me. The others, I'm not so sure.

"And Kaori," Kakashi started. "You have to work as a team. It's just not all about you." Now, that made me mad. I know how to work as a team, I just always choose not too. With that, Kakashi disappeared. I just stood there, and thought of a plan.

"Sasuke. Kami. There are only two bells, and three of us. If I can find any metal, I can easily make a third one. I know we all want lunch, so we need to do that. And I can easily distract Kakashi. I've lived with him for years, I know his weakness. While I distract him, you two go in and get the bells. I could freeze time, but that does use too much chakra for me," I explained.

"Well, let's find you some metal first so you can do that, and then we'll go find Kakashi," Kami stated. "I know where we can easily find some in this forest. I know the forest, and all the mineral supplies."

We were off, and following Kami. Who thought she'd know the forest that well. Well, the six-tailed demon fox, was a creature made of vines, so that could be why. Kami was far ahead of us. That left Sasuke and me alone, together. It felt weird, because we've drifted apart so much over the past couple years.

"Sasuke…why aren't we as close as we used to be," I asked. I was very afraid of what he would answer with, that is, if he'd answer at all. Sasuke just kept looking forward, and wouldn't say anything. 'Ugh, I guess I have to read his mind then,' I thought.

I didn't have to do any hand signs, so that was good. Sasuke wouldn't know what I was doing then. So I slowly slipped into his mind, so that he wouldn't feel my presence there.

'God, why does she have to be so beautiful? I can't love Kaori… She'd just get in the way of me fulfilling my goal of killing Itachi. I don't want her to get hurt. But I want to be with her… Then again, Kaori wouldn't like me. She has the same goal, and she basically hates me. Why is she trying to even fix things, it's all an act,' Sasuke thought. I slipped out of his mind.

I sped up so I could meet up with Kami. Sasuke didn't have a clue that I had read his mind, but I knew he could sense something was wrong with me. I was the toughest girl I've ever met, but I had the urge to cry. I would do anything to be with Sasuke, but I knew we couldn't be together, because of our goals.

Kami could sense something was wrong. "Kaori, what's wrong," she asked. I just looked straight ahead. I trust Kami with everything I have, but I can't let her know, not just yet. "I'll explain later, Kami. It's a bit of a long story. I promise," I told Kami. Yet, I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't buy it.

After about an hour of running, we finally reached where we could get the metal. Kami led me to a spot that had a mass supply, and that where none would be missed. I did a large amount of hand signs. I extracted the metal out, and I made a bell. The only thing missing was the little red string around it. I could get that later. Just need to find a red flower.

I did more hand signs, and I tried to find Kakashi-sensei. He must've been concealing his chakra, because Kami couldn't sense him, but I could. Thank you, body heat! Kakashi-sensei was about thirty kilometers south-southeast, and sitting in a tree. It looked like he was reading. 'Perfect,' I thought.

I just couldn't stop thinking about what I read in Sasuke's mind. It was going to affect how I performed and everything. I just had to go back to my cold ways; not let anyone see that I have something on my mind. Keen. Keen. Keen. That's all I could think about.

We approached Kakashi, and of course, he was still reading. He didn't notice us at all, because we all knew how to conceal our chakra. I mouthed a few words to Kami and to Sasuke, and they were told to stay put. I was going to start this off.

I walked out from behind a tree, and I wasn't alone. I had a good ten clones with me. It'll help with the distraction. Kakashi wasn't surprised to see only me there.

"Kaori, didn't I tell you this was a team work task," Kakashi asked, without looking up from his book. I just stayed quiet, and took another step forward. "You know, Kakashi-sensei, it's not wise to read while on the job," I stated. That only got a giggle out of him, but hey, it was better than nothing.

Too bad he was only talking to a clone though. The real me was behind him doing a few hand signs. Kakashi really wouldn't know what hit him when I was done. He was too focused on his book to pay attention to the other clones. After a minute or two of nothing but hand signs, my jutsu was complete.

"Good luck trying to move, Kakashi-sensei. You'll need it," I yelled from behind. Kakashi turned around, but he couldn't move his feet. 'I love that jutsu,' I thought. "What did you do, Kaori? Why can't I move," Kakashi asked. With that being said, Sasuke and Kami ran out, and grabbed the bells.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei, it's a simple jutsu if you ask me. All I did was take the moisture in the air, heat it, and mix it with the dirt, thus creating a mud, and then heated it again. It glues you to the spot," I explained with a laugh. "Oh, and before we found you, we found a metal supply, and made me a bell, so we all get lunch!"

Kakashi didn't look very pleased with me, because it was like I did all the work. Well, yeah, I did. I came up with the plan, and I was the one who distracted Kakashi, and tied him to the ground. Sasuke and Kami just grabbed the bells. But hey, we at least got the bells.


	7. We meet again, sister

As we were eating lunch, I stayed even more quiet than usual. Kami couldn't stop wondering what was wrong with me, so I decided to get up and go into the surrounding forests. I heard somebody following me, but I paid no attention. I just kept jumping from tree branch to tree branch, crying. I stopped not much later. I heard a very familiar voice.

"Hello, little sister." It was Keen. How did she find me? What's going to happen? Is she going to kill me like she did the rest of the family? I can't let this moment pass me by. I must fight. I must kill her once and for all. I stepped forward, ready to fight.

"What are you doing here, big sister," I asked in a cold tone. I can't believe I'm going to fight my sister; I haven't been able to master the powers like her. "I've come for the rest of the family power. I must kill you to gain in all," explained Keen. As she explained that I saw Sasuke in the trees. I gave him a look as to not come any closer. This was my battle.

"You've got to fight me for it, sister. I'm not the weak little girl I was back then," I stated. With that being said I charged Keen. I was making hand signs, and had fire glowing in my eyes. Keen stopped me with one swift motion of her hand. I went flying ten yards back.

"You're still the weak little girl. That power belongs to me, the strongest Shadow in the entire family. Mother and Father were too weak to defeat me. You're now a waste of power," Keen stated. She made a hand sign and pushed her hand forward. I fell into a trance.

Sasuke was watching all of this go on, right before his eyes. He couldn't let the girl he loved so through this. Sasuke jumped from the trees as he saw I was in excruciating pain. "Get. Away. From. Her. Now!" Sasuke yelled. Keen turned around to stare at the new encounter.

"You really think you'll be able to even get a scratch on me? You're as weak as my sister," Keen declared. She pushed Sasuke back with a fire jutsu, and he fell unconscious. I finally awoke from my trance and saw the scene before me. I could barely stand, but I wasn't going to let Sasuke die.

"Looks like you have a little boyfriend, Kaori. Be a shame if something bad were to happen to him, like death," Keen assumed. I couldn't let that happen. Sasuke was dying right before me, because he was trying to protect me. "Kill me instead, Keen. I can't let you do that to Sasuke, just end it now," I stated.

"Fine, have it that way, sister," Keen said with a smile. She did a few hand signs for a shadow jutsu. This was it; I was going to die, without fulfilling my goal. I'm a failure. Then the darkness overcame me. I saw Sasuke awaken, and he watched me fall, Keen was gone.

I awoke in the hospital. I didn't know what had happened to Keen or to Sasuke. Was he all right? Was Keen on the run again? I had so many questions, but no answers. I just stared out the window, like I was a zombie. I didn't feel quite alive. I felt like I did on that dreadful night eight years ago. Worthless. Weak. Alone. No one could replace that in my mind. Or even better, my heart.

I was all alone in this world. I had to get out of this town. Train to be all that I can be, no matter what the cost. I had to get strong enough to kill Keen. Even if it meant losing my own life in the end. If she dies before I do, my goal in life will be complete. But what about Sasuke? Kami? Kakashi? I couldn't do that to them, not just yet. I need to wait; I need to break all bonds with them. But I can't, I just can't. I've already gotten close enough to them.

I finally stopped my thinking process and looked next to me. Sasuke was sitting there, asleep. His arm was in a cast, and he had bandages wrapped around his head. He was alive! That's all that mattered to me. Next to him was a vase filled with flowers. Were those from him? I better check anyways.

I grabbed the card in the center of the vase. It read, "Kaori, I was so afraid that I was going to lose you. You're the only person I feel connected too. We have the same goal in life, and if we worked together we can accomplish our goals, together. You're the only person I can trust. I can't lose you. I love you… Sasuke."

Wow, that was the sweetest thing I ever read. He admitted he cared about me. I guess I could take him up on that offer. I did hear about the Chunin exams coming up. Maybe we could train during that, and get even stronger. We have the same goal, so we might as well work together. He's all I have. I got to do this. He loves me, and I love him.

I fell back asleep, thinking about what could happen during the Chunin exams. I knew for sure that there was going to be a written exam, which would be easy for us, because I could speak to Kami and Sasuke through mind reading. I don't know what else could be apart of the exam though.

I was released from the hospital days later, and Sasuke hadn't bothered to speak to me about his card. Whenever I looked at him though, he'd smile at me, but then soon look away. Kakashi soon showed up at the bridge.


	8. Who's Orchimaru?

"As you three all know, the Chunin exams are coming up. So, are you three ready," Kakashi asked. He knew what the answer was going to be, but he still had to ask. "Before you answer, I already signed you up! The exam starts tomorrow. Good luck." He knew us all so well. It was great!

The three of us had decided to just relax at Sasuke's place until the next day. We'd need our strength, because we didn't know what was to become of the Chunin exams. It was starting to get late, but I knew I had to talk to Sasuke about the card he left me. We still haven't even spoken since I was out of the hospital.

"Sasuke, can I talk to you for a second. It's sorta important," I asked. Sasuke got up, and he helped me up. We walked outside to a stream that was in his yard. "What you want to talk about, Kaori," Sasuke stated. "It seems like it's upsetting you." I just looked away and held back some tears.

"It's about the card you left me while I was in the hospital. Did you really mean all that? Do you want to work together to accomplish our goal? And that you love me," I asked nervously. I couldn't looks at Sasuke, I was afraid of what the answer may be. 'Come on, Kaori, get yourself together. You gotta stay true to what you said eight almost nine years ago,' I thought.

Sasuke walked next to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. My head was still turned to him, but I could tell he was upset. "Kaori. Yes, I meant it all. Ever since the day I met you, I've liked you. We're so much alike, and you're so beautiful. If we work together, we can kill my brother and your sister. I know we can," Sasuke began.

"But Sasuke," I interrupted. "I don't want you getting hurt. Keen is so strong, she went easy on me that day. I'm surprised that she didn't kill you. I can't lose you." I soon felt a tear run down my cheek. 'Damn it! I haven't cried in eight years! Shit, this isn't good at all,' I thought.

"Let me continue, Kaori," stated Sasuke. He sounded like he was about to cry. "Kaori, I love you. You're all I need in my life. We can do this together. We're the strongest ninja, plus Kami, to ever live. We can do this! We're the last of both of our clans. Let's get through the Chunin exams, and then we'll see where we are. We can leave Konoha, and go train, on our own. We can do this."

I looked over at Sasuke, and he was crying. He was holding his composure so well though. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him. Sasuke actually held me while I cried. He meant this, he really did. He wouldn't make a bond with me if he didn't mean it. I can't believe this was happening. I wasn't going to be alone while I sought to kill my sister. I had a friend to be with.

The three of us fell asleep after talking about what we're going to do for the exam. We all know that we can talk through mind reading, with the help of Kami and me. Sasuke's pretty smart, so he will provide a lot of answers for the written portion. If there's a challenge, I got that wrapped up. I can sense everyone's chakra, so they'll be easy to find. I have no clue what the third part of the exam will be though. But with that being said and done, I fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning, and Kakashi was standing over me. "Kakashi," I screamed. "What the hell! Why are you here?" Kakashi just looked at the clock on the wall. "You're going to be late if you don't get to the Academy. Did you guys stay up late," he asked.

We just looked away and laughed. We've gotten very close to each other in the past few years, and I enjoy it. I just hope nothing happens to them. We ate some breakfast, and then I teleported us to the Academy. There were a lot of older Genin there as well. They were from all over the world.

A man with silver hair approached us. He looked like he was up to something, but we all thought nothing of it. We were here to win, not to make friends. "Good morning, my name is Kabuto. You are extremely beautiful, if I may say," stated the man. Sasuke gave him an evil glare. Even though we weren't dating, we sure acted like it.

"I'm Kaori. Kaori Shadows that is. These are my teammates: Sasuke Uchiha and Kami Udori. We're not here to make friends, but here to become Chunin," I explained. But it looked like he was staring at my necklace. I grabbed it and walked away. I knew I had to read this guys mind.

Sasuke didn't like the guy as it is, so he knew something was up. Kami just didn't like the way he looked at me. So they stood in front of me while I slipped into his mind, and I didn't like what I heard. Not one bit.

"Orchimaru, I found two great candidates for your new body. Their names are Kaori Shadows and Sasuke Uchiha. They are the only two left in their own clan, minus older, rouge siblings," Kabuto thought. But the weirdest thing happened next. Another voice was heard.

"Great job, Kabuto. You are an excellent ninja for me. But remember the prophecy? Kaori Shadows is supposed to be the strongest ninja to ever live. She will be branded with my mark, without a doubt. If I can get Sasuke as well, that's just double the power in my hands," the strange voice explained.

I quickly got out of Kabuto's mind and explained to them what I just heard. Sasuke just wanted to spar with Kabuto, but he knew he must save his energy. I was actually afraid of what would happen to Sasuke and me. But if it made us stronger, it couldn't be too bad, could it? We could easily kill Orchimaru after he puts his 'mark' on us.


	9. The exam

Iruka soon came into the room and told us to take our seats, but do not sit next to any of our teammates. That didn't matter to any of us, we knew what to do. I saw towards the back of the room, Sasuke in the middle, and Kami in the front. It'll be easier for me to mind-read from the back, since I will have to do a few hand signs.

I was right, it was a written test! It consisted of ten questions. They were actually pretty difficult, but Sasuke and Kami helped. Sasuke and I answered three questions, and Kami answered four. It was great teamwork. We were pretty sure that we got a hundred on it, since we were at the top of our class.

In my mind, even though I was done with the first part of the exam, I was talking to Sasuke about what I heard. Why would someone want us? Were we that powerful? I just had to talk to Sasuke about it, now. 'Sasuke, it's me, Kaori,' I stated. 'I'm still scared of what I read in that guys mind.'

'Don't worry, Kaori,' Sasuke began. 'I won't let them hurt you, but if they do, they have to hurt me too. We're going to get out of Konoha together, no matter what. If we get this mark, it must make us even more powerful. We just have to work together on all of this. But get out of my mind right now, the prompter is back. I love you.'

I slipped out of Sasuke's mind, and all of the remaining Genin were taken outside. We started out with over 300 ninja, but were now down to 30. After this next test, there will only be 21. Prompter Anko took us to the forests that surround the city. I guess this is where our next task is.

"Okay maggots! This is where your next task is going to be held," began Anko. "Your task, as a team, is to get these two scrolls. There are seven earth scrolls and seven heaven scrolls. So that means only seven teams will pass this part of the exam. You have three days to accomplish this, and get to the tower in the center of the woods. Oh yeah, one last thing, don't open your scroll. You'll automatically lose."

"This should be easy enough," Kami stated. We all knew that I could find the scroll we needed, and then defeat the other team. We went to our starting point, and headed in. This was going to be a long three days. "It should be, but these woods aren't the easiest to navigate through," I explained.

We decided that we would stop at a stream, and Kami would get us some fish to eat. "Sasuke," I asked. He looked over at me and moved close to me. "I sense this dark chakra coming from about six kilometers east. It's not my sister, nor someone who seems human."

Sasuke looked at me weird for a second and then said, "Kaori, you're just nervous about what you heard, You'll be fine and so will I. We're a team, I won't let anything happen to you when I'm here. Now just find the closest team with an earth scroll." I then sensed my chakra on an earth scroll.

I was amazed by what I saw. It was Kabuto and his team with an earth scroll, only two kilometers north. "Kami, you almost done with the fish, we have to get on the move if we want to get that scroll tonight," I asked. Kami got out of the stream with three fish, just enough. I cooked the fish, and we ate in silence.

"Okay, Kaori, you know where this guy is, right," Kami asked. She already knew the answer but she was still just as afraid as I was. "Yes, Kami, he's about 1.5 kilometers north-northeast now. It looks like he's heading towards us. And he has more people then just his team. Let's go!"

We were running and I was in front. I veered to the right, and there he was. Kabuto was right there, along with members from the Sound Village. "Why it looks like you have a heaven scroll, let's fight. Since I need that scroll," demanded Kabuto. I knew I had to fight this guy. But I didn't know what was to happen.

Kabuto stepped towards me, but Sasuke stepped forward. "Kaori, I'm not letting you fight him. Let me," Sasuke asked. I wasn't going to let him fight, not just yet. "Sasuke, let me do this. He wants to fight me, if I can't handle it jump it, okay," I stated. Sasuke finally stepped back after a minute.

The dark chakra was so strong, Orchimaru was close, I knew it was him. But I had to fight. "So are you going to make a move first, or shall I, Kaori," Kabuto asked me. He had this smirk on his face that I knew he was up to something. "Ladies first, right? So I'll make my move," I stated. I took another step forward, but I was then gone.

Kabuto looked all around for me, but he didn't see me. I came up from under the ground and stabbed him in the leg. This was going to be too easy. He was weak. "Oh you're a sneaky little girl, aren't you? But that won't do, now will it," Kabuto stated. "Orchimaru, get her little boyfriend!" The next thing I knew this grey man was extending his next towards Sasuke!

I couldn't let this happen! Anyone but Sasuke! I ran towards Sasuke, and got in front of him just in time. Orchimaru bit down on my next, and an excruciating pain went throughout my whole body. I dropped to the ground. I was unconscious.


	10. The Curse Mark

"What did you do to her," Sasuke demanded. He ran to my side, and held me. I wouldn't wake up. Sasuke stood up, and made sure Kami was by my side. "I'll kill you! You hurt the one person I'll ever love," Sasuke exclaimed. He was shaken up by what had happened. He vowed to kill.

"Ahh, the last Uchiha. I know your brother, Itachi," Orchimaru began. "You're much weaker than him, with the same mark I gave your girlfriend, you'll be able to defeat your brother. As she will her sister. I am here to help you." Sasuke wasn't falling for it. He charged at Orchimaru.

Sasuke used the Chidori move on Orchimaru that I taught him, but it didn't do much damage. Sasuke was on the ground, because most of the power backfired onto Sasuke. "Ah, so I get two knew bodies now. Say hello to power, Sasuke," Orchimaru stated. With that being said Sasuke was bit on the neck, and entered the darkness.

"Oh shit," Kami exclaimed! Both Sasuke and I were unconscious. She had no one to help her. "Why don't you just leave your friends little girl," Orchimaru began. "They belong to me now, I gave them the power they will soon posses. You will have nothing." This ticked off Kami.

"You will not take them from me," Kami stated enraged. Soon a green glow started to surround Kami. "They. Belong. To. Me!" Kami soon attacked Kabuto. She took control over the seal, and has released the power of the demon fox. "No one hurts my friends!"

"Orchimaru! Run, now. I can take her," Kabuto explained. Kami kept fighting Kabuto until Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji showed up. Even more sound ninja arrived. "Wow, look at that girl fight," Ino began. "Oh no! Sasuke! Is he, is he dead?" Ino ran out to run to Sasuke. I soon then awoke.

A blue glow was surrounding me, and I was about to kill anyone. Not long after I stood up, a black design overcame my body. I felt the power run through my veins. I felt so powerful. Like I could take Keen on my own. I saw Ino, and she was bending over Sasuke. I wasn't going to let anyone take what is mine!

"Get. Away. From. Him. Now. Ino," I yelled. She soon backed away and went to join Shikamaru and Choji again. "What has gotten into her, Shika," Ino asked. Shikamaru just shrugged his shoulders and waited to see what was going to happen. I charged the Sound Ninja, and knocked them all out in one blow. It wasn't much longer until Sasuke awoke either from his slumber.

He had a purple glow surround him, and a similar marking go all over his body. Sasuke charged Kabuto's teammates, and almost killed them all. But I stopped him. "Sasuke, don't," I yelled from behind. He turned around just in time to see me pass out at his feet. "Kaori, are you okay," Sasuke asked. But I didn't move. The mark receded, and I awoke.

"What just happened," I asked in a daze. I felt so weak, but there was this stinging pain in my neck. I reached for where the pain was coming from. I saw these three little, black marks. They looked like commas. "The mark took over your body, I think it did the same to me. Ahhh," Sasuke yelled. He reached for his neck too. I walked over to Sasuke. He had the same mark that I did.

"Kami? Where's Kami," I asked to Sasuke. We looked around, and Kami was lying on the other side of the field. Unconscious. We ran over to her. I did a few hand signs, and I started healing her wounds. I even transferred some of my chakra over to Kami. Kami soon awoke, but she was in a haze.

"We have to rest for the rest of the night, before we can move on. We're all too weak to finish," Kami stated. Sasuke and I didn't agree though. "Kami, we can rest and get food once we reach the tower. Kaori and I will take turns in carrying you. We got this," Sasuke explained. Kami agreed and we headed for the tower.

"Sasuke, what came over us," I asked. He just looked at me, and then to the ground. "Kaori. I really don't know. I was just afraid that that man was going to kill you. I couldn't let it happen, you're all I have," Sasuke stated. I soon stopped in my tracks, and grabbed my neck. Sasuke didn't notice until I let out a scream.

"Kaori! What's wrong? Is it your neck," Sasuke asked, concerned. "I. I don't know. But I have to put a seal on this, for both of us. We have to Sasuke, or the power will have us kill anyone we don't want too. Let's stop for a couple hours, and let me do this," I explained. Sasuke didn't want to have to stop, but he knew what had to be done. To protect both of us.


	11. Finally reaching the tower

Sasuke came over to where I was kneeling, and set down Kami. She was right asleep. She sure needed it too, she unleashed her demon for a little bit. "How exactly do you make this seal, Kaori," Sasuke asked. "I'll show you. Just sit down. This shouldn't take long," I stated. So Sasuke sat down next to a stream, and I began making hand signs.

It wasn't much longer until I felt the mark taking over my body. 'I must be low on chakra, and it's helping me push myself,' I thought. The seal was finished on Sasuke, but my mark wasn't receding. Sasuke passed out, but this was common when it came to putting seals over curse marks.

"Well. Well. Well. Little sister actually knows her own strength now," a voice from behind me stated. I knew it was Keen, but this time she wasn't alone. "My love, she also has my little brother with her. This is going to do wonders for ourselves," a man explained. I turned around. It was Keen, no doubt. But who was this man? He looked just like Sasuke! No! This can't be…shit! I have to fight both of them, without Sasuke. Without Kami. Without any chakra. I'm totally screwed.

I saw Sasuke stir, but I knew this was up to me. That is until Sasuke awoke, which could take anywhere's from a few seconds to a few minutes. But I don't know if I had that much time left. "Why hello, big sister. Is this your boyfriend," I asked. "It'd be a shame if something were to happen to either of you." Keen just laughed, she knew I couldn't take the both of them.

But what she didn't know is that I was awakening the beast inside Kami as we spoke. This wasn't going to be a pretty battle, and it was sad that Sasuke was going to miss it. "What are you doing," Keen asked. "You really think you can take on me and Itachi? Both of your teammates are down. You're alone, and without much chakra. You're as good as dead." I took a step forward, but was soon gone.

Kami was now awake, and was glowing green. I, myself, was underground, concealing what little chakra I had left. The mark soon came over me, and Kami was about to go on a killing rampage. She couldn't kill who Sasuke and I have vowed to kill. No, she just can't! I did a hand sign, and Kami soon fell into a slumber. This was my battle, and I had to do it.

With the mark engulfing my body, I decided to spring out of the ground. Keen was in shock of what she saw before her. Itachi just stood back and watched. He was waiting for Sasuke to awake. I charged Keen with a Chidori, but this Chidori was different. Instead of it giving off a blue light, it was black. I kept charging, and I actually hit Keen. But it was in the arm.

"Little sister has gotten better, but not good enough. You're missing a key part, Kaori. And that is hate," Keen tried explaining to me. I looked over and Sasuke was watching. He watched as he saw Keen throw me through tree after tree. He couldn't take it anymore. He charged Itachi. "Foolish little brother," Itachi stated.

Sasuke then froze in his steps. Itachi had him, and Keen had me. That's what we thought until Kami awoke. She attacked Keen and Itachi, and they went flying back. Sasuke and I charged our Chidori and attacked our enemies. We attacked them dead on. What we saw next surprised us.

These people weren't really our siblings. They were just normal ninja that Keen and Itachi had possessed. This wasn't good, but we had to keep moving. He needed our rest. Sasuke had the seal for his curse mark, which didn't cause as much pain. But I, myself, still hadn't done the seal. I'd have Kakashi do it for me when we reached the tower.

After a few more hours of walking and running, we finally reached the tower. We were soon face to face with Kakashi. He was proud of us, because we were the second team to finish. It was just the morning of the second day of the challenge. We didn't care who was ahead of us, but we knew that we needed food and rest.

"Kaori," Kakashi began. "Can you come here for a minute?" I went over to Kakashi, and he knew that Orchimaru got to us. "I'm worried about you and Sasuke. You two have the mark, but no seal." I cut him off by saying, "I already put a seal onto Sasuke's mark. It still hurts, but he has control over the curse mark. I knew what to do, father."

That was the first time I ever called Kakashi 'father', and he seemed quite happy about it. "Then let me do a seal for you, daughter. I'd rather have you in less pain than you are now. You have even more power than you could ever control at one." I knew what he meant by that, because I was about to kill someone, even with little chakra. Imagine what I could do if I was at full strength.

Kakashi took me to a dark room, and he drew signs on the ground. 'He's doing a very difficult seal,' I thought. 'But hell, if it works, and I can still control the seal, I'm all for it.' Kakashi took some ink, and drew down my arms, back, and legs. Kakashi did hand sign after hand sign, until he was finished. Once he was done, I passed out. I knew that this was coming.


	12. Love?

Not long after, Kabuto, showed up. "Ah, taking care of your 'daughter' I see, Kakashi," Kabuto stated. He stepped forward towards Kakashi. "It'd be a shame if something bad were to happen to her, wouldn't it?" Kakashi was about to attack, but he knew he couldn't. "Well, Kabuto. I knew you were working for Orchimaru. Now two of our strongest Genin are now under his curse mark," explained Kakashi.

"Ahh, I know. I helped. They will be wonders to the Sound Village. Just need to wait until the time is right to bring them to the Village. We'll be unstoppable then," Kabuto stated. "Get out of here now, Kabuto. I don't want to have to hurt you. You're a great ninja, but you just went on the wrong path," stated Kakashi. With that being said, Kabuto vanished.

I awoke in the infirmary, not sure of what just happened. All I know is that it was the last day to finish the challenge. I had to get back to the tower, I wouldn't be able to make it in time. "Look who's awake." It was Kakashi. He also had Kami and Sasuke with him. "How're we going to get back to the tower, Kakashi," I asked, in shock.

"Don't worry, I can take us there with ease," Kakashi began. "Are you all well fed, and filled with energy?" We all nodded our heads and started heading back to the tower. I didn't know what the next part of the challenge was, but it should be pretty easy. I think so anyways. The other two were easy, but this one may not be.

We reached the tower, and inside were five teams. The only people who passed were: Kami, Sasuke, and I. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai. Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. Nenji, TenTen, and Lee. Garra, Temari, and Konkuro. Then the three remaining Sound Ninja. We all met in a room, it looked like there were to be battles taken.

Sasuke, Kami, and I walked up to the upper level of the tower. We didn't know what was going to happen, but we knew we'd find out soon enough. We saw the Hokage step forward, so we decided to all be quiet.

"What you are about to do next, is not your final challenge. This is going to be a preliminary round, to what you will do in a month. But what you are going to do is, you are going to be matched up with another ninja, and you will fight until the other in unable to," explained the Hokage. "First up will be Kaori Shadows and Sakura Haruno. Please come forward."

I jumped from the upper level, and landed on the sparing zone. Sakura took her sweet time walking down the stairs to where I was. "Hurry up, billboard brow," I yelled. That made her pick up the pace. "I will fight you, and I will win. I will also win Sasuke-kun's heart," Sakura proclaimed. I just laughed. She thinks Sasuke will actually be hers. She's a funny little idiot.

The fight began, and Sakura hasn't landed a hit on me. I decided to go easy on her though. I threw kunai's at her, but she dodged all but one of them. When the battle was going nowhere I decided screw this, and unleashed power on her. "Beware, Sakura," Naruto yelled. "She's finally going to attack!" I did a few hand signs, and Sakura was glued to the spot. She kept trying to move, but she couldn't. "What did you do to me," Sakura asked. I just laughed at her, and then I explained. "Well, it's a jutsu that I learned from Shikamaru. Well, I sorta copied it from him. It's Shadow Possession. You're stuck, because I have your shadow."

Everyone was amazed that I could copy a kekkigenkai. But I let Sakura go, and she charged at me. She wasn't giving up. I just stood there, and I let her take a hit at me. I went flying across the arena, and Sakura went after me. I used my momentum, and kicked her across the face. I then did a few hand signs, and I breathed fireballs towards her, and one hit her in the face.

Sakura just kept fighting though. She had the will to beat me, to impress Sasuke, I believed. So, I guess I had to access the family necklace. After concentrating on the element of light and combining it with shadow, I created a shadow ball that explodes into light. Everyone in the arena saw this forming and was in shock. How could someone so young master that?

I threw the ball towards Sakura, and she couldn't dodge it. It hit her straight in the back. She was blasted back about ten feet. Sakura couldn't move, and soon passed out. "The winner of the first round is Kaori Shadows. You may leave Kaori. Come back when we are finished," stated the Hokage.

I left the arena, and slipped into Sasuke's mind. 'So, how'd I do,' I asked him. Sasuke inwardly laughed. 'You did great. You really showed her who I liked, because when you were busy concentrating, Sakura tried talking to me.' I was a bit confused, because usually when I concentrate I can hear what's going on. 'Sakura asked me if I were to ever date her, and I blurted out that I was in love with you and that you were the only girl for me.'

'Wow, Sasuke,' I began. 'Do you really think that?'


	13. Jealousy?

'Wow, Sasuke,' I began. 'Do you really think that?' I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. Sasuke loved me? It couldn't be. Could it? 'Of course I think that, Kaori,' Sasuke stated. 'You're the only girl I ever want to be with, but I have to go right now. I'm fighting Lee. I love you.' Before I could reply, I was kicked out of Sasuke's mind.

Sasuke jumped down onto the battle field. Lee wasn't going to be an easy fight, even though he only used tai-jutsu. He was fast. The fastest ninja in all of Konoha. "I'll fight you and win the heart of the beautiful lotus blossom, Kaori," Lee chanted. Sasuke shrugged it off, because he knew that that would never happen. Kaori loved him, not Lee.

The battle soon began, and Sasuke was dodging all of Lee's moves, with ease at that. He couldn't keep up with Lee, so he knew that he had to use his Sharingan. It was the only way that he could win. After copying some of his jutsu, and then using a fireball jutsu, Sasuke was finally ahead.

Sasuke kicked Lee up in the air, and soon followed behind him. The curse mark was slowly taking over. He must've been low on chakra. But he beat Lee to a pulp. Lee was unable to fight, but not unconscious.

"I have lost. You are a true oppenet. Filled with youth! But I'll soon win the heart of the golden haired goddess," Lee proclaimed. Sasuke walked to face Lee, and stopped right in front of him. "Keep dreaming. She's all mine," Sasuke stated. With that being said, Sasuke walked away to where he could meet up with Kaori. While all the other battles went on.

Sasuke walked into the room where I was. He was battered up, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that he was with me, and that's all that mattered. We decided it must be time to talk about our plan. About what we were to do after the Chunin exams. Should we stay and train, or should we leave and go to Orchimaru? We had to many questions going through our head.

"Before we begin discussing what we'll do, let me heal your wounds," I said to Sasuke. He walked over and took off his shirt. He was beaten up more under his shirt, than anywhere else on his body. I did a few hand signs, then my hands began to glow. "How'd I find sucha girl like you, Kaori," Sasuke asked. I couldn't help but blush.

"Well, we're just alike in so many ways, Sasuke-kun," I stated. I had never had the suffix –kun to his name before. I felt like a fangirl. "But, you're so beautiful, and strong. You're willing to put your life on the line, and mine, just for us to have this bond," Sasuke explained. He was right, we were willing to die, and lose each other, by making this bond.

I finished healing his wounds, and Sasuke put his shirt back on. We knew that Sakura had entered the room, but we decided to ignore her and just keep talking. "You're right Sasuke-kun, but what if our rivals catch one of us? I can't afford to loose you," I stated with nervousness. Sasuke just looked at me, and then he looked towards the ground.

In another second, Sasuke was looking back at me with a genuine smile. "We risk our lives and eachother's lives, because we know we'll kill any son of a bitch who gets inbetween us. I love you, Kaori." With that being said, Sasuke leaned in and kissed me. As that happened, Sakura walked towards us.

"How. Dare. You," Sakura yelled towards me. She was wrapped up in bandages, and was flaming with jealousy. I got the man that she has always wanted. Just because I'm just like him. "Sakura, what," I asked, like I didn't know what was going on. She came over to me and slapped me dead across the face.

I was in a state of shock, that she did that. But before I could come back to reality, Sakura kissed Sasuke! I was just in disbelief that Sasuke wasn't pushing her away. Then I saw it, she used a jutsu to paralyze him. I walked up to Sakura, and grabbed her by her hair, and pulled her off.

I said release, and the jutsu wore off. I can't believe she did that. She tried to steal the one I love by making me jealous. I already lost everything once in my life, but I wasn't going to lose Sasuke. Not that easily anyways. She would have to try a lot harder than that.

"You do know that he'll never love you, right, Sakura," I asked her. She just looked accomplished that she actually kissed Sasuke. She knew that it made me jealous. But I wasn't giving up. I walked closer to her, and she saw the flames in my eyes. "But you just saw him, Kaori, he kissed me," Sakura stated with an attitude.

"Uhm, he only kissed you because you used a jutsu on him, you dumb whore," I yelled. Sasuke was enjoying seeing me get jealous. But he knew that he would never love Sakura. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave!" The curse mark was starting to take over my body.

Once Sasuke saw that, he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek. This made Sakura storm off, and soon after, the mark receeded. "You enjoyed seeing that, didn't you," I asked. Sasuke actually laughed. "It was great seeing you get all defensive, because of me. I liked it," Sasuke explained.

I knew he was enjoying that. I never let myself get jealous, especially over Sakura. I guess I liked Sasuke a lot more than I thought I did. But we still had to decide what we were going to do after the Chunin exams. "So, Sasuke-kun, what are we going to do after the exams," I asked.

Sasuke looked out the window for a little bit, but then he looked up at me. "Honestly, I think we should go to Orchimaru. He seems to know what he's doing." I thought about what he said, but then I thought about what Orchimaru had said. "But remember what Kabuto and Orchimaru said," I began. "They want to use our bodies to take over the ninja world."

Sasuke looked at me, and brought himself close to me. "Well, it looks like if we want to gain the power, we need to get stronger than our teacher. And before we leave, kill Orchimaru and Kabuto. Cause we're staying together, and not letting anyone get in our way of our goal." Then Sasuke leaned in and kissed me. "I love you, Kaori." I looked into his dark eyes, and with a smile said, "I love you too, Sasuke."


	14. Itachi?

Once all the other Genin were done with their spars, Sasuke and I headed back to where everyone was. It looked like Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Shino, Temari, Kankuro, Garra, Kami, Saskue, and I were the winners. But this couldn't have been the final task, it was too easy.

"You now have three months to train. This is because your third, and final task, is to have another spar. You all saw what your opponents are capable of, and these three months, will able you to become a better ninja. You will all now draw a number," the Hokage paused while we all drew a number.

"The number you drew will put you into a tournament order. You will fight on in that order until you have won the tournament-"

"But doesn't that mean only one of us will become a Chunin," asked Shikamaru, interrupting the Hokage. Everyone else agreed.

"No, Shikamaru, that does not mean that. Myself, and the Kazekage will be choosing Chunin based on how well you battle, and how well you show what you have learned by your sensei and by what you learned in the academy. But only the final ten can become Chunin," explained the Hokage.

With that being said, we were dismissed. Sasuke, Kami, and I decided that we'd all go get something to eat. We were all tired and worn out from a long past three days.

"At least we get a month to train though," Kami stated. She had a point, but it's going to be difficult to go against each other. We all know each other's powers, just like our own! It'll be an interesting battle if either of us go up against each other.

I remained quiet, because I was thinking about what Sasuke and I were going to do. Were we just going to leave Konoha? Were we just going to leave Kami? Will we stay here and train? I couldn't stop thinking, and it was getting on my nerves.

"You guys, I'm actually just gonna go home. I'm not feeling too good," I stated. I had to think of an excuse to get out of there. Or I was just going to explode. Plus, I needed to relax.

"You're not feeling good," Kami asked. "I'll see you at home though. Uhm, you don't mind if Kiba comes over to watch a movie, do you?" Kami had a smirk on her face, so I knew they weren't just going to watch a movie.

"Sure, go right ahead. Just. Keep. It. Down," I stated with sterness. "I'm going to fall asleep, and if I wake up, Kiba is going to be a new doggy-dish here at the Ramen Shop." She knew I was serious.

As I started walking away, Sasuke soon caught up. He grabbed my hand and stopped me. He pulled me close to him, and just held me. I was wondering what he was doing.

"Kaori…I love you. Be safe. Please," Sasuke stated. He seemed like I was going to do something stupid. But I just wrapped my arms around him, and held back tears.

When Sasuke let me go, I kissed him on his cheek, and headed back to my place. I was walking through Konoha, with my mind racing. I decided to go do some training. I headed into the woods. Some training would ease my mind.

I walked into the woods, and sat on the ground. I didn't know what training I was going to do, but I decided that I might as well try to train the curse mark that I now have.

"Well, looky here. It's Kaori, all alone," a mysterious voice said from the trees. "You don't have my dear little brother with you." I knew right away that it was Itachi! I got into attack mode.

"What are you doing here," I yelled. "Show yourself!" With that being said, Itachi was behind me, holding a kana to my neck. I couldn't escape without getting myself killed in the process. So I might as well stay still.

"I'm here to take you away from my brother. But I'll torture you first," Itachi explained. Itachi turned me around, and activated his Sharingan. It looked different from Sasuke's. Before I realized it, I was in a trance.

I was attached to a cross, and Itachi was in front of me. I blinked and then there were thousands Itachi's surrounding me. One by one, Itachi after Itachi was stabbing me. I was to endure this for 72 hours.

When the trance had ended, I awoke, and realized that only a minute in the real world had passed by. The next thing I remember before passing out, was seeing a blast of electricity, and hearing somebody yell, "Get. Away. From. Her. NOW!"

"Itachi, what are you doing to Kaori," Sasuke demanded. The curse mark was surrounding his body, and Itachi didn't know what was happening. Sasuke took a step forward, and Itachi took a step back.

"Well, your little girlfriend was here instead of you. So I decided to help Keen in a way, by weakening her little sister. You still don't have enough hate, little brother," Itachi explained. He teleported behind Sasuke. "You'll never defeat me, not unless you hate me enough."

Sasuke started activating his Chidori that Kakashi had taught him. And tried to attack Itachi, but Itachi grabbed Sasuke's arm, and broke it in two. Sasuke fell to the ground beside Kaori. Passed out.

"Poor little brother. Still not enough hate," Itachi stated. And with that being said, he was gone. Leaving Sasuke and Kaori there, to die.


	15. Meeting with the Hokage

A couple of days later, Kaori awoke in the hospital. She heard voices outside of her room, but decided to stay quiet. Until they were done at least. It sounded like the Hokage and Kakashi. Might as well listen some more.

"But Hokage, I sealed the mark. Her and Sasuke will be safe," Kakashi tried to explain. By the sound of his voice, it didn't seem to be working. I wonder what was going to happen…but I decided to act asleep.

"Kakashi, I trust you. But these young children have been put under a serious curse. Kaori reminds me a lot of her own mother at her age. Being the best at everything, but she's much more quiet," the Hokage began. "If her sister finds her, or even Itachi again, and that mark activates, it could kill them. I'm going to put them on a S-Rank mission, but I don't know what yet. You have to trust me though."

My eyes shot open. 'A S-Rank mission? For Sasuke and I? Alone?' I thought. 'This could go one of two ways.' I had a smirk on my face, but I soon heard my door open.

I sensed the person's presence, it was Sasuke. He was well enough to move. "Kaori…wake up, please," Sasuke said. He had been crying in sounded like. He kept sniffling, and his breathing was uneven.

"Kaori…please…I can't do this without you…" Sasuke was about to cry again, but held it in when Kakashi walked in. Kakashi walked over to where Sasuke was, and put a hand on his shoulder. Trying to console him.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. She's going to be okay. Just don't leave Konoha just yet. The Hokage has something planned for the two of you," Kakashi stated. He then leaned over Sasuke, kissed my forehead, and left. 'I hope you're alright. You've brought this boy back to his old-self, almost,' Kakashi thought.

**Sasuke's POV**

_Flashback_

_"Kaori, I love you. Be safe…please," I begged. I was worried that something bad was going to happen to her. but she felt like she was well enough to go. I watched as she left, but she wasn't heading towards her house. 'I gotta follow her. She could get hurt,' I thought. _

_I followed behind Kaori quite a bit, until she walked into the woods. 'She must be going to train. That always clears her mind.' I concealed my chakra, and watched. Not long after Itachi showed up! What the hell was he doing here! _

_He put Kaori in a head lock with a katana to her throat. 'She's gonna die…this is all my fault!' But then I looked into Itachi's eyes…the Manegekio Sharingan! How the hell! This isn't good!_

_Kaori soon came out of the trance, I had to use the Chidori. I had to save her! I charged towards Itachi. "Get. Away. From. Her. NOW!" I yelled. But my arm was soon grabbed. "Foolish little brother…you don't have enough hate," Itachi began. "You won't ever defeat me, unless you learn to hate." My arm was then snapped in two. _

_As I fell to the ground, so did Kaori. He left us there to both die._

_End flashback_

I walked into Kaori's hospital room. She still has budged. I began to worry. She was going to die…I was going to be left alone again. With no one. I walked next to her, she looked peaceful, at ease. "Kaori…wake up…please," I begged.

I couldn't lose her…she was all I had. I couldn't help but start to cry while I was holding her hand. I love her…

**Normal POV**

I couldn't take it anymore, I had to wake up so Sasuke would stop crying. He was broken. Only I could fix it. I started to stir in my bed. "S-sasuke," I asked. My eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Kaori! You-you're okay," Sasuke asked in disbelief. I lifted my hand up, and wiped away the tears that still continued to fall from his face. But when I did that, Sasuke just grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him.

"I thought I had lost you, Kaori…" Sasuke began. I could feel his breath on my neck, and I started to blush. "I can't lose you. I'd die if I ever lost you. You're my everything." I pulled back from Sasuke, and just kissed him.

Sasuke used his good arm, and pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. I swore I could hear a growl coming from the back of his throat. But we soon broke away. We heard Kakashi coming to my room.

*knock knock* Kakashi slowly opened the door, not waiting for a reply. He saw me and Sasuke in a hug, with our eyes closed, and smirks on our faces. "I'm not going to ask…but the Hokage needs to see you," Kakashi stated.

We left the room, and started heading towards the Hokage's office. "I wonder what's going on, Sasuke," I asked. I still wasn't myself since the incident. I felt…weird…weak. Sasuke just grabbed my hand and told me not to worry.

About twenty minutes later we reached the Hokage's office. We knocked on the door. "You wanted to see us, Hokage-sama," Sasuke asked. The Hokage looked at us with a serious face.

"Yes, you two will be going on a mission, after the final part of Chunnin exams. A S-Ranked mission….."


End file.
